... if Atlanta and Seattle lose and we beat Carolina we control our own destiny. We have head to head tiebreaker with Dallas and Seattle and play Detroit the last game of the year. If we win 2 worst case scenario we go to Detroit tied and winner (if our case) is in. Not sure where Detroit is with those tie breakers.

Thanks for simplifying the landscape.

If we lose today Detroit is in a better place than we are. They right now have the better overall, divisional and conference record.

If we lose today we aren't mathematically eliminated (although we could be), but we're toast for all practical purposes. I've got a better chance of winning the lottery than the Packers do of getting into the playoffs with another loss. Win out and I like our chances. Lose one, it's over.

How does it go from "If WE lose today WE aren't eliminated (although WE could be....)...."

... if Atlanta and Seattle lose and we beat Carolina we control our own destiny. We have head to head tiebreaker with Dallas and Seattle and play Detroit the last game of the year. If we win 2 worst case scenario we go to Detroit tied and winner (if our case) is in. Not sure where Detroit is with those tie breakers.

Thanks for simplifying the landscape.

If we lose today Detroit is in a better place than we are. They right now have the better overall, divisional and conference record.

If we lose today we aren't mathematically eliminated (although we could be), but we're toast for all practical purposes. I've got a better chance of winning the lottery than the Packers do of getting into the playoffs with another loss. Win out and I like our chances. Lose one, it's over.

How does it go from "If WE lose today WE aren't eliminated (although WE could be....)...."

The Packers announced that they have released FB Joe Kerridge from the active roster and QB Jerod Evans from the practice squad. Guessing another PS guy is moving up. Was another team trying to poach a player?

There's not much Aaron Rodgers -- or any other quarterback -- can do if an opposing pass-rusher takes him to the ground and he lands on his throwing shoulder again.

If he breaks his collarbone again, it's the rub of the green.

But here's what the Green Bay Packers should have learned from the seven games Rodgers missed after he underwent surgery to repair his broken right clavicle after Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr hit him and drove him to the ground on Oct. 15: They need more from the rest of their team, whether it's the inconsistent pass rush or the breakdowns in the secondary or the lack of weapons outside of Davante Adams and, at times, Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson.

Brett Hundley did as well as could be expected for a quarterback taken in the fifth round who had never played meaningful snaps before this season. He won three of his seven starts. With a little more defensive help and another weapon or two, say at tight end (where the Martellus Bennett experiment failed), then perhaps the Packers would have been better positioned for Rodgers' return last week at Carolina.

Whether that requires a roster overhaul, a change at the top of the personnel department or new ideas on the defensive side of the ball, it will be for the organization to decide.

Hundley & Co. gave Rodgers a chance to return, but it would have taken a nearly flawless performance over the final three games just to have a chance at the playoffs. Instead, Rodgers couldn't make his return a heroic one, and the Packers' season is over with two games to play.

As Rodgers sits on injured reserve for the final two games of the season, it will be a reminder of the team's shortcomings -- not at quarterback, but in so many other positions.

Rodgers turned 34 earlier this month. He believes he can play, and play well, at least until 40. But the older he gets, the more help he'll need.

It should be a sign that Ted Thompson, or whoever occupies the general manager's office at Lambeau Field after this season, needs to go "all-in," as Rodgers would say.

It's not that Rodgers can't keep playing at or near an MVP level. The first five games of this season, with his league-leading 13 touchdowns and a pair of game-winning drives, showed for certain that he can. It's that the Packers can't just rely on him to carry them all the time because, if another injury occurs and the team hasn't been upgrade then another precious year will fall by the wayside just as 2017 did.

Rodgers took on a risk to come back last week even though his collarbone wasn't 100 percent cleared. With the possibility of the playoffs gone, the Packers shut him down because, coach Mike McCarthy said, it was "in Aaron Rodgers' best interest."

"He's a special player, stating the obvious," McCarthy said Tuesday after Rodgers was placed on IR. "But he definitely laid it out there for us."

Now, the Packers need to make sure they do the same for Rodgers next year and beyond.

Just a reminder, not that it's really needed....Green Bay is more active in pursuing FA players than TT gets credit. Mario Addison the guy who got half a sack on Rodgers was wanted by Green Bay. He said no, you can add Robison from MN on that list as well. So the key is getting the right FA (who are young enough that would jump at the chance to play with a playoff team) and has some ability. Since Green Bay needs pass rushers...I hope they search high and low and take some chances to get some pressure on the other team's QB.

Jordy & Cobb - "It’s mainly a matter of whether Nelson has lost too much speed. You also can’t rule out the Packers moving on from both"

Corey Linsley - "The Packers' other priority re-sign has to be center Corey Linsley"

Morgan Burnett - "The hardest free-agent call is Morgan Burnett. The Packers are in position to move on"

Clay Matthews - "Matthews, 31, obviously isn’t the pass rusher he once was. His $11.4 million pay in ’18 is too high for a guy who’s no longer routinely winning one-on-one pass-rushing battles. The Packers can lower his ’18 pay in the face-saving way described earlier — offer a decent guarantee, add a year or two on the deal and cut his salary. But just as important is where to play him. I’d move him back inside"

Bryan Bulaga - "His torn ACL in early November is a problem. There’s a decent chance he’ll open next season on the physically unable to perform list, which would mean he’d effectively miss the first half of the season.....on the other hand, the Packers don’t have a replacement in waiting"

Jordy & Cobb - "It’s mainly a matter of whether Nelson has lost too much speed. You also can’t rule out the Packers moving on from both"

Corey Linsley - "The Packers' other priority re-sign has to be center Corey Linsley"

Morgan Burnett - "The hardest free-agent call is Morgan Burnett. The Packers are in position to move on"

Clay Matthews - "Matthews, 31, obviously isn’t the pass rusher he once was. His $11.4 million pay in ’18 is too high for a guy who’s no longer routinely winning one-on-one pass-rushing battles. The Packers can lower his ’18 pay in the face-saving way described earlier — offer a decent guarantee, add a year or two on the deal and cut his salary. But just as important is where to play him. I’d move him back inside"

Bryan Bulaga - "His torn ACL in early November is a problem. There’s a decent chance he’ll open next season on the physically unable to perform list, which would mean he’d effectively miss the first half of the season.....on the other hand, the Packers don’t have a replacement in waiting"

I don't see how you can argue with any of this. The Packers could move on from Jorday and Cobb but I see only one of them going. Right now, we have a better chance of replacing Cobb as Jordy can play in the slot and boundry. Cobb is just a slot guy. We also have Montgomery who could play the slot and be more like a Sterling Sharpe guy where he just overpowers the DB to get open.

I'd have to see some pretty amazing things out of one of Allison, Clark and/or Davis these last two games to make me think moving on from both is a good idea. Either that or TT has to go and get a WR in free agency. Good luck with that.